Discover fascinating fun facts about Asia, it's geography, animals and much more below...
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Population: 4.4 billion +
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No. Countries: 47
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Highest Point: Mt Everest 8848m
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Lowest Point: Dead Sea -430m
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Longest river: Yangtze 6300km
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Biggest country: Russia
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Smallest country: Maldives
DID YOU KNOW
All the major religions were also born here, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism.
THE COUNTRIES OF ASIA
Afghanistan
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Brunei
Cambodia
China
Georgia
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lebanon
Malaysia
Maldives
Mongolia
Myanma
Nepal
North Korea
Oman
Pakistan
Philipines
Qatar
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
South Korea
Sri Lanka
Syria
Tajikistan
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Turkey
Turkmenistan
United Arab Emirates
Uzbekistan
Vietnam
Yemen
QUICK FACTS ABOUT ASIA
PEOPLE OF ASIA
The are so many diverse peoples and cultures in Asia from the Turkic in the North, the Dravadian culture in the South, Arabs in the West and the great Chinese influence in the East.
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Asia is a huge melting pot for culture due to its shear size. People living South of the Tropic of Cancer have adapted to a hotter climate where they eat different food and share a completely different lifestyle to those who live North where it is a lot colder and crops do not grow so abundantly.
The continent of Asia is vast and sits mostly in the Northern Hemisphere. The Northern half of Asia is mostly Russia and a vast steppe, an area of grassland and savannah that's largely inhabitable. As you go further South towards the Equator there are more countries due to warmer climates. Here you'll find 1000''s of islands such as Indonesia and the Philippines. Head East and you'll find huge deserts in a collection of countries called the Middle East, which includes Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
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Covering a third of the earth, Asia has nearly every environment in the world. Read more about different countries environments and weather below:
Saudi Arabia
Oman
Saudi Arabia and Oman - The majority of both these Middle Eastern countries is made up of the Arabian Desert which is the second largest desert in the world. The area is often called the 'Empty Quarter' as it is largely un-populated, dry and very hot. This desert has the largest amount of sand found anywhere in the world!
Nepal
Bhutan
Nepal and Bhutan - To the North of both these small nations lies the great Himalayan mountain range. These mountains stop cold air from the North meaning these countries experience high temperatures throughout the year. It is often cooler the more North you go and the closer you get the Himalayas.
Russia
Mongolia
Russia and Mongolia - Vast areas of both these countries are grasslands and huge empty savannahs. These are called Steppes and are largely un-populated due freezing temperatures and lack of fertile soil for growing. Some nomadic people still live on the Mongolian Steppe herding their cattle.
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Singapore
Indonesia
Singapore and Indonesia - The Equator is where both these countries call home. Temperatures here can soar up to 35ËšC which means very high levels of humidity making the air very hot too. To make things even hotter Indonesia has a lot of active Volcanoes, some of which you can actually still climb!
India
India - Blessed with many different environments, from the Himalayan mountain range and deserts in the far North to the Ganges river basin in the East which floods every year in the dramatic monsoon (heavy rain) season. Then in the South the country changes again and is very green and fertile, perfect for for growing tea.
ACTIVITY
1. Look in a book or on the internet to find out which animals live in India.
2. When you see an animal you like find out which environment it lives in.
3. What makes it perfectly adapted to that environment?
Giant Panda
Type of animal - Mammal
Maximum Length - 1.8m
Region - China
Diet - Bamboo Shoots
Bengal Tiger
Type of animal - Mammal
Maximum Length - 3m (including tail)
Region - India, Bhutan, Nepal
and Bangladesh
Diet - Small Mammals
Japanese Macaque
Type of animal - Mammal
Maximum Length - 1m
Region - Japan
Diet - Plants and Fruit
Asian Elephant
Type of animal - Mammal
Maximum Length - 6.4m
Region - India and South East Asia
Diet - Grass and Plants
Pangolin
Type of animal - Mammal
Maximum Length - 1.2m (including tail)
Region - China, India, Indonesia and Phillipines
Diet - Termites
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Red Panda
Type of animal - Mammal
Maximum Length - 1m (including tail)
Region - China, Nepal and Myanmar
Diet - Fruit, Bamboo and Plants
The magnificent mountain range called the Himalayas is home to the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest.
Rising a staggering 29,035 feet high!
Indonesia in the East of Asia is made up of 17,000 islands, the world's largest archipelago!
Asia is the world's largest continent and it takes up one third of the world's surface.
It's also home to 60% of the world's largest population!
The Trans Siberian railway is over 9000km long! It runs all the way from Moscow, Russia to Beijing, China. It takes a week to make the journey.
Sushi is a traditional Japanese dish. It's made using raw seafood and rice. Some are rolled and wrapped in seaweed.
My friend Hans and I have always found chopsticks difficult!
Orangutan's are native only to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra in Indonesia. You can see them in the wild in special sanctuaries.
China and India have populations of over 1.3 billion meaning that together they make up over one third of the world's population!
Asian elephants are approx. 1500kg lighter than the African elephant. Their ears are smaller, they have less wrinkles and only 1 crease in their trunk compared to African which has 2.
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is the tallest building in the world. It was finished in 2008 and stands an incredible 2,722ft high!
ASIA ON FILM
ACTIVITY
1. Take a look and read about my travels in Asia below.
2. Put some of the interesting information into a search engine and see if you can find what country the image is from!
Fig. 21
Nothing beats racing through the heart of New Delhi on one of over 90,000 auto rickshaws! The best way to escape the heat!
Fig. 192
Ruins of the ancient city of Palmyra. This ancient city is a hugely important historical landmark reaching its height during the Roman occupation in 260 AD.
Fig. 91
The sun sets in cherry blossom season at Mt Fuji, Tokyo. Mt Haku and Mt Tate, along with Mt Fuji, make up the Three Holy Mountains of Japan and are sacred pilgrimage routes.
Fig. 53
An eagle hunter called the Berkutchi. Diving at speeds of over 125mph the tamed eagles of the Berkutchi can take down animals as large as a wolf.
Fig. 92
A fisherman fishes from his stilt on the Southern coast of Asia. A clever practice that allows fisherman to fish waters that are otherwise inaccessible.
Fig. 188
Marvelling at the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall during our short walk of the staggering 21,196 km. The wall even enters Mongolia in the north.
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Find out more about the endangered Asian Elephant: www.wwf.org.uk/wildlife/asian-elephants
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Discover the UNESCO listed ancient city of Palmyra in Syria: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/23
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Explore the unique country of China on the BBC: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b00bv6lk/wild-china
